Vitamin Overdose
4:33 AM
Vitamins and minerals are essential, in a very small amount; for healthy growth and development. They cannot be synthesized in the body. The body only utilizes them without breaking them down, which is the reason why they are only required in "small amounts".
Vitamins and nutrients are often regarded as wonder nutrients and are thus normally believed to be free from side effects.However vitamin overdose may cause discomfort and other potentially serious damage to the body.
Vitamins are usually separated into water-soluble (e.g., the B vitamins, vitamin C) and fat-soluble (e.g., vitamins A, D, E, K) groups.
Vitamins overdose of vitamin B and C are excreted in the body but fat-soluble vitamin overdose tend to accumulate and eventually cause poisoning when high levels of concentration in the body have been reached. Each vitamin also has specific symptoms associated with its vitamin overdose. The good news is that morbidity and mortality from pure vitamins overdose are rare. One study of acute or chronic vitamin overdoses, with more than 40,000 exposures, reported 1 death and 8 major adverse outcomes.
Vitamin A overdose can cause headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry itchy skin, hair loss and loss of appetite. Fatigue and irregular menstruation are common. In extreme this vitamin overdose there can be bone pain and enlargement of liver and spleen. High doses of beta carotene may turn the skin yellowish orange. Meanwhile, vitamin A overdose in pregnancy may lead to birth defects.
Vitamin D overdose may lead to calcium deposits in soft tissues, blood vessels walls and kidneys. In children this will cause growth retardation.Musculoskeletal effects include pain and tenderness, particularly in the long bones of the upper and lower extremities, which may be exacerbated by exercise; epiphyseal capping and premature epiphyseal closure, may occur in children. Neurological effects include blurred vision and frontal headache, craniotabes in children, or bulging fontanelle in infants.
Chronic vitamin D overdose effects include the above symptoms and constipation, anorexia, polydipsia, polyuria, backache, hyperlipidemia, and hypercalcemia followed by hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias. Vitamin E overdose causes nausea, headache, fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding muscle weakness, and creatinuria.Chronic vitamin E overdose effects include all of the above, suppression of other antioxidants, and increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Vitamin K overdose typically associated with formula-fed infants or those receiving synthetic vitamin K-3 (menadione) injections. Because of its toxicity, menadione is no longer used for treatment of vitamin K deficiency. Effects may include jaundice in newborns, hemolytic anemia, and hyperbilirubinemia.
Most adults can obtain enough vitamins by eating a well-balanced diet. It has, however, become increasingly common for people to take vitamins at levels far greater than the recommended dietary allowance RDA.
Balanced amounts of each and every vitamin in the body should be properly followed, as an excessive in take of one vitamin can adversely affect the body's use of another vitamin even though the second vitamin is present in normal amounts.
Vitamins and nutrients are often regarded as wonder nutrients and are thus normally believed to be free from side effects.However vitamin overdose may cause discomfort and other potentially serious damage to the body.
Vitamins are usually separated into water-soluble (e.g., the B vitamins, vitamin C) and fat-soluble (e.g., vitamins A, D, E, K) groups.
Vitamins overdose of vitamin B and C are excreted in the body but fat-soluble vitamin overdose tend to accumulate and eventually cause poisoning when high levels of concentration in the body have been reached. Each vitamin also has specific symptoms associated with its vitamin overdose. The good news is that morbidity and mortality from pure vitamins overdose are rare. One study of acute or chronic vitamin overdoses, with more than 40,000 exposures, reported 1 death and 8 major adverse outcomes.
Vitamin A overdose can cause headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry itchy skin, hair loss and loss of appetite. Fatigue and irregular menstruation are common. In extreme this vitamin overdose there can be bone pain and enlargement of liver and spleen. High doses of beta carotene may turn the skin yellowish orange. Meanwhile, vitamin A overdose in pregnancy may lead to birth defects.
Vitamin D overdose may lead to calcium deposits in soft tissues, blood vessels walls and kidneys. In children this will cause growth retardation.Musculoskeletal effects include pain and tenderness, particularly in the long bones of the upper and lower extremities, which may be exacerbated by exercise; epiphyseal capping and premature epiphyseal closure, may occur in children. Neurological effects include blurred vision and frontal headache, craniotabes in children, or bulging fontanelle in infants.
Chronic vitamin D overdose effects include the above symptoms and constipation, anorexia, polydipsia, polyuria, backache, hyperlipidemia, and hypercalcemia followed by hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias. Vitamin E overdose causes nausea, headache, fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding muscle weakness, and creatinuria.Chronic vitamin E overdose effects include all of the above, suppression of other antioxidants, and increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Vitamin K overdose typically associated with formula-fed infants or those receiving synthetic vitamin K-3 (menadione) injections. Because of its toxicity, menadione is no longer used for treatment of vitamin K deficiency. Effects may include jaundice in newborns, hemolytic anemia, and hyperbilirubinemia.
Most adults can obtain enough vitamins by eating a well-balanced diet. It has, however, become increasingly common for people to take vitamins at levels far greater than the recommended dietary allowance RDA.
Balanced amounts of each and every vitamin in the body should be properly followed, as an excessive in take of one vitamin can adversely affect the body's use of another vitamin even though the second vitamin is present in normal amounts.
